Artemis Fowl: Captive
by northern.grunge
Summary: Geniuses aren’t surprised by anything. A snap of their all-knowing fingers and any situation should wither away like chalk on a sidewalk in the rain, but one particular genius, by the name of Artemis, has been surprised with a situation more than once…AXH
1. Geniuses

_**A/N: **_Actually stemmed from a dream I had last night… it of course grew insanely once I woke up. If you're at all interested in the original dream and kind of bored just ask me, lol, it's pretty crazy! I hope that weird, slightly scary dream will make for a nice fic for you guys to read :) Please enjoy, slowly, with fine cheese and crackers (or filet mignon if you prefer). Best before 12/12/99. Because by then we probably won't have computers. Read, Review, Repeat to your liking ^.^

_**Disclaimer: **_I may own that dream of mine, but I most certainly do not claim to own Artemis Fowl, because if I did, Holly and Arty would be way past just a kiss ;D, and Minerva wouldn't even be here.

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**Artemis Fowl: Captive**

Chapter One, Geniuses

Northern Amadeus

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Geniuses are, as a whole, not surprised by anything. They pride themselves on having everything, and everyone under control at all times. A snap of their all-knowing fingers and any situation should wither away like chalk on a sidewalk in the rain. They have the ideas, the knowledge, and the audacity to worm their way out of any predicament… and they know it. One particular genius, by the name of Artemis Fowl II, has, in fact, been taken off guard with a situation more than once. How is this, if geniuses are never surprised? You see, Artemis is so exceedingly intelligent, that he can get himself into more trouble than your average run of the mill genius, therefore, he is most commonly found in a predicament that takes exertion on his part to get out of. If only young Artemis Fowl II had been your typical genius, he would've never been in such dilemmas. Of course, if he was your typical genius placed in these dilemmas, he would be long dead.

Artemis sat at his computer, busy fixing one of the worlds most trusted (and incorrect) websites, Wikipedia. He shook his head in dismay over all the errors on the page his was currently working on, some people were just idiots. Sitting up in his chair he began at the top, correcting facts and adding about half the things he knew on the matter, the students who used this site for reports couldn't handle that much information in their tiny high-school sized minds. As he was about to click "publish" he heard a small crack at the window next to him. He finished the job and pulled up his security camera feeds. He noticed the slightest shimmer in the camera that was trained on the window of his personal study.

"Holly?" He whispered to himself. If he invited her in no one would see her, his parents were on vacation with the twins in America so he and Butler were the only ones in the manor today. Last Artemis knew, his hulking companion and former body guard was making a succulent lunch. Artemis rubbed his temples for a moment, whatever news the elf brought couldn't be good and he must be prepared. He heard another loud 'ping' on his window and quickly looked out to find a chip in the think glass. Why did she have to throw stones? She could just fly up to the window and knock, or better yet, come in the front door like a normal elf. He noticed that outside the trees swayed, rustling in the wind, from the looks of the sky a storm was coming. He slowly opened the window and peered out, wondering lightly if wet elf smelled as bad as wet dog, then reprimanding himself with the fact that elves were people, not dogs.

"Hello?" He asked to nothing in particular. He felt senile doing it but Holly was mostly likely somewhere near by.

"Can I come in?" A soft voice hissed some where near his ear, she must've been standing on the ground because the sound came from slightly below him. He was surprised that she wasn't in already; №1 had dealt with the age-old dwelling spell a few years back. Holly wouldn't need permission to enter.

"Yes of course, come in." He said hurriedly "You shouldn't need me to let you in." He said once she had become visible on his antique oriental rug. She looked terrible, leaves jostled her short brown hair, and her eyes had been ravaged by lack of sleep. The fairy wore a fitted black shimmer suit that had faded in some parts from wear and tear and Artemis noted her strange lack of wings or weaponry.

"It's another spell Artemis. I'm not sure what's going on. Someone won't let me back into Haven and I've found the only way I can get into a house without getting sick to my stomach is if someone invites me in so I've slept outside. All my equipment has stopped working. I don't know what to do!" Her voice had risen to a worried whisper by the end of her speech. Artemis took in the sight of the elf and all the disastrous things his friend had just said.

"Do you have any idea who did this?" He asked gently, taking her small hand and leading her to the over-stuffed studded couch. Holly obliged and sat, crossing her legs underneath her. She took a few steadying breaths, staring into the carpet, before going on. Outside the sky let loose and rain drops created a soothing pitter-patter on the window.

"I-I'm not sure. Would have to be someone who knows me personally, and they'd most likely need access to the station to know that I was aboveground, they'd also have to be pretty powerful to do this." Artemis nodded and sat down next to her, she was shaking slightly but Artemis was amazed at the bravery behind her eyes. She was incredibly tough for a woman only a few feet tall, and Artemis found himself admiring that.

"I'll try to make contact with Haven, until this gets sorted out you're welcome to stay in the guestroom." He looked pointedly at her messed up hair and pulled a leaf free of it's auburn nest. "It's a good thing the guestroom has a fully stocked shower, you look awful." He added, earning himself a hard punch to the arm and a deadly glare.

"You try sleeping outside for a few days and let's see how you look." He shrugged and tried to hide his smile. He stood to show her to her room. Once he reached the door she stood as well and followed behind him.

The room they entered took her by surprise, it was huge. It had two queen-sized beds with silken red and white sheets, a full-length mirror framed in beautifully carved oak. The floor was a rich hard-wood that Holly would've slept on in an instant and the doors matched the mirror frame. The bay-window looked out over Angelina Fowl's large garden, the plants made interesting, sweeping lines from this angle. Rain pelted against the glass and lightening flashed in the distance every few seconds. The room had a warm look and was inviting next to the grey scenery. It was more of a work of art than a guestroom she thought.

"Here we are," Artemis announced "the shower is right through that door" He extended an elegant finger towards a heavy looking oak door. Holly walked in slowly, the cold wooden boards felt wonderful on her aching feet, she had walked miles to get here and all she wanted to do was rest. Artemis followed her in and sat on one of the beds.

"Wow Arty, this is kind of over-done don't you think?" Artemis looked surprised.

"Not at all, it should be comfortable." He said. She smiled brightly

"Thank you for letting me stay here, I suppose in return I'll take that shower now." She laughed a little but she still looked very worried to Artemis, he sensed that something else was on her mind.

"Are you sure that's all Holly?" He tried to work in just the right amount of worry without sounding mushy. "I feel as if I'm missing something here." From his point of view, Holly was a lot more worried than she should be. Of course this whole thing was terrible, but it wasn't like anyone had threatened her, perhaps it was only a mishap, Artemis knew that there had to be more. She signed and rubbed one of her arms, a sure sign that he was correct in his thinking.

"I did get this," She pulled a piece of ripped and folded paper from a pocket in her black shimmer suit. Artemis took it gingerly and peeled it open. The crease was sharp as if she had opened and closed it many times and it had apparently been exposed to water so the inked words were slightly blurred.

_If you want your life back, I'm going to need Fowl's in return. Think about it._

_For both of your sakes Holly._

Artemis's face became a sneer as he read on.

_Beautiful Holly, it pains me to see you like this. But it's the only way I can have you, broken. Without Artemis you might be able to see who I really am and stop d'arviting comparing me to boy prodigy. I love you Holly, so much it hurts… you. _

He couldn't believe what he was reading, who could love someone and want to hurt them at the same time? The letter made Artemis fear for Holly's well-being, never mind his. He knew the havoc a deranged lover could wreak. It was one of his favorite things to study about in psychology, the lengths love could go to. He swallowed hard and handed the awful note back to Holly.

"Don't worry, I'll find him." He said, serious as death itself. He stood silently and walked out the door, closing it with a gentle thud behind him. Holly was scared to be alone without any protection. She thought she could defend herself well with kicks and punches, but what if this guy came for her with guns? Flesh was useless against bullets or knives. She hurriedly went into the bathroom and undressed for her much needed shower. Sand and leaves fell to the ground around her, she had never felt dirtier in her life. The cold water was wonderful against her dusty skin. She marveled for a moment over the selection of aromatherapy shampoos, conditioners, and body gels before deciding on vanilla lavender. She hoped to Frond she could get some sleep tonight. It comforted her to make a mental list of the things she needed to do.

_Make sure Artemis doubled security until this nut-job was detained_

_Find Butler and get some food_

_Get some rest_

Not too hard, she figured. Things were certainly looking up for her. She admired Artemis for his kind heart, a new and exiting feature. The ice-eyed little boy of a few years ago would've died before letting a fairy into his manor. Now they'd gone through so much together that he'd probably be the worst best-friend someone could ever have if he didn't let her in she thought. While showering she reflected on her feelings for the teenager. Being of the more feminine sex she of course had noticed a few things change physically about him. His hair had grown longer and eventually he stopped slicking it back so that now it was soft and slightly messy, the kind of style a teenager should have.

He had gotten much taller and would have now looked very handsome in a suit rather then a boy playing dress-up with his father's clothes. His style had changed as well. Instead of a highly starched Armani suit he now wore button-up dark colored long sleeved shirts which he rolled up to the elbow for a more casual look. Some times he even wore one with a sweeping white grungy design on the front. He had moved from slacks to night-black jeans as well, but he still wore expensive leather shoes Holly noticed. The most striking and beautiful change were his eyes, the cold blue now softened with earthy hazel.

With the image of Artemis behind her eyes she stepped out of the shower and dried off, finding her extra clothes in the small pack she had with her. Foaly had insisted on all officers carrying some of the essentials with them at all times, a human medicine kit ("Those stupid rookies think they can fly around anywhere without running hot," he would complain), an extra suit, and a package of freeze-dried nutrition, yum. She was now glad Foaly was so thoughtful, though she would never tell him.

Unfortunately, she had run out of food a few days ago and was starving. Pulling on the brilliant white suit she headed out the door and around the corner to the kitchen. Before she got there she smelled the heavenly sent of fresh sautéed garden vegetables. She smiled when she found Butler plating the mixed vegetables on top of glazed salmon on two plates and an extra one on top of what looked like a delicious salad. Artemis took all three plates, balancing them precociously until he reached the table. When he had set them down he looked up to find Holly standing near the kitchen.

"Hello Holly, have a nice shower?" She was wearing a glimmering white suit that made her look like a short, wingless, modern day angel. Her hair was still damp and stuck out in all directions.

"Yes, thanks for the meal, I'm starving." She said as she took a seat next to Butler who had just brought them all glasses of water. Artemis sat last, he noticed her smell when she walked by. It was sweet, she smelled earthy and damp with a hint of vanilla and lavender. He made a mental note to re-fill that particular body gel bottle. Holly ate her meal greedily, barely paying attention to her surroundings. Once she was full though she looked up at Artemis and Butler in turn. Artemis had hardly eaten a bit, Butler had finished the salmon but left some of the vegetables, _hmm _Holly thought _Butler doesn't care for spinach, how ironic_.

"Wonderful cooking Butler, may I speak to Artemis alone?" She asked, she liked Butler, but wasn't sure if Artemis had told his body guard about the note. He nodded

"Of course Holly, you two should talk. I'll go clean the dishes." He said and piled each of the plates together, leaving the water glasses, and walked off to the kitchen. Holly moved her chair closer to Artemis so they could talk lower.

"Have you found out anything?" She asked him.

"I couldn't get a hold of Haven. The communicators have been shut down. Tara is even being blocked, no one has gone out or gone into Haven since you left and all hotspots have been squelched, hopefully temporarily." He said almost darkly making Holly shiver. "I need to know exactly where you received the note, I believe that is where your attacker will be found, or he'll find us. Either way we know who we are up against. Butler, though he refuses to admit it, is not as fit as he once was and therefore we mustn't come."

"Maybe he should eat his spinach" Holly murmured humorously, destroying the mood.

"What?" Artemis's voice was still low.

"Never mind" She said quickly and shook her head. "I found it at the entrance to Haven, near Tara hill."

"That's where we'll start then." Artemis said. "Don't worry, we'll deal with him and get him to remove any spells he has over you and the hotspots, he won't get away with this."

"Artemis, don't you think us coming together might make him mad?" Artemis's eyebrows scrunched, she had a point. Artemis had actually thought of that though, he was still slightly undecided but went with his best case.

"I don't believe so, why do you ask?"

"Well, in the note he seemed to think you where his competition." Holly said, slightly embarrassed at what that implied.

"I can't arrest him on my own and if you go he'll have a greater chance of capturing you. I doubt he can capture both of us." Artemis's logic was sound, but, as he should've known, logic refuses to have anything to do with magic. Logic is always proven wrong when magic comes into play, even the best logic. Regardless, Artemis and Holly prepared to leave for Tara.

That night they snuck out of the manor and made their way on foot. Artemis reasoned that if they walked quickly they should make it to Tara around twelve o'clock. Better to face your enemies in daylight then darkness, night gives them an advantage in most cases. They walked pressed up against each other to keep warm. The rain had quieted and the lightening had ceased, but the air was left damp and cool. Artemis's arm kept Holly's shoulders warm, while her arm warmed his lower back. Both held a loaded handgun at their sides, prepared for whatever dreadfulness might ensue.

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**_A/N:_** Thanks for reading loves! I really hope you like it, I think it's one of my better works so far. There will be some major ArtyXHolly in later chapters, I'd love to tell you where this is going but I can't! Amadeus stricty said "Don't give it away or I'll slap you with a salmon." and salmon slapping just isn't fun... but, I CAN tell you how that dream went, so if you really want to know what's going to happen just ask about the dream ;D and to do that you must... wait for it... not yet... a little more..... yes, that's it. REVIEW! Oh, and feel free to point out all the errors I know are hiding from me... thanks!

Much love, XoXo Northern Amadeus oXoX


	2. Worry

_**A/N:**_ Be forewarned- every other chapter or so will be about Butler and/or LEP goings on. I have to drag it out a little, but do not fear! Holly and Arty will be back up in chapter 3 ;D then 5, then 7 well, you get the point. Although it is not the longest of my favorite of chapters, I do so hope that you enjoy it ^.^

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**Artemis Fowl: Captive**

Chapter Two, Worry

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Domovoi Butler was quite content with letting Artemis and Holly talk in private, in fact, he couldn't have asked for a better time to catch up on his current romance novel "Savanna by the Sea". He sat in a red antique chair and read under the light of a yellowish floor lamp. When he read his mind was rarely on other things, but tonight he couldn't help but let his thoughts drift from the sand that stuck to Savanna and James in some… awkward places to his charge and Holly, still speaking on the floor below him. It was almost midnight by now, perhaps they were already asleep, but something told him not to rest yet.

Butler's troubled thoughts became full blown worry when he heard the slight creak and close of a door, just to be safe he decided he would investigate. He dog-eared the page, leaving James staring after his bronze babe until the novel was opened again, and started on his way down the ancient wooden steps that moaned under his weight.

He thought of calling out for them, but if they were in fact still talking he didn't want to interrupt. He first looked in the kitchen, then one of the two living rooms, then the lobby. After his thorough search he became extremely worried.

"Artemis?" He called into the house, an echoed answer came back. The manor felt huge and empty to Butler, not a good sign. He jogged trough the tiled halls to the back door that led onto the garden. On the door he found a note written in delicate, sweeping handwriting, Artemis's handwriting.

_Butler, please do not be concerned, Holly and I have to attend to something. Holly has completed the ritual and we both have fire arms. We should be back soon if you are reading this in the morning. Again, we need you to watch the Manor, where we are headed there is nothing you could do to assist us. ~ Artemis_

With a wince Butler tore off the note and crumpled it in his hand. He trusted the genius very much of course, but he wasn't convinced that they were actually as safe as Artemis had intended. Hesitantly, he determined that he would wait until noon tomorrow, if they had not returned by then he would be forced to search for them. The manservant made his way slowly back up the steps to his bed, feeling a strained muscle in his back. Just as he turned out the light the phone rang. Sighing, he switched the light back on and answered.

"Hey Dom, how's it going?" The voice of his younger sister cheered him up a bit.

"Fine Juliet, how are things with the Jade Princess?" She sniggered into the phone, making a harsh static sound

"Haven't lost one match bro."

"Of course, I'm proud of you, but would you mind not calling so late at night Juliet? It's midnight here." She gasped and Butler imagined her eyes getting wider,

"I'm so sorry Dom! I'll call later. Sorry!" She said and broke the connection. Butler chuckled fondly and lay the phone down. If he was this worried, he couldn't imagine what Commander Kelp was going through. No word from one of his best officers, and no way of reaching the surface.

Artemis had told him about the spell keeping Holly from returning to Haven or contacting anyone, although, he hadn't told Butler about the note. If he had, Butler would've already been looking for the pair.

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**Haven, the LEP Station**

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A group of highly ranked officers surrounded the centaur, included in this assembly was Trouble Kelp. They all stared worriedly at Foaly's computer, following only half of what his fast fingers typed. After waiting patiently for almost a whole three minutes Trouble spoke up.

"Have you found anything at all Foaly?" Kelp was on edge, every muscle tensed, and quite irritable from lack of sleep. With an annoyed whiny Foaly replied,

"Eighty-three possible suspects, but I think we can rule out the five year old pixie and the troll, leaving eighty-one to sort through." Foaly turned around to face the group of captains.

"I can do the math Foaly." Trouble muttered testily. Now was not the time for being funny, all the hotspots and chutes were stopped up like a corroded pipe and they still had no idea who or what was behind this mess. They hadn't been able to contact the three officers that were currently topside, one of them being Captain Short, and all news-casts and data from above ground was off-line for no reason at all. It was as if the surface had simply stopped existing, taking Holly (and the other two) along with it. Commander Kelp rubbed his weary eyes. He had been unable to sleep since this development a few days ago, and he had kept most of the captains from sleep as well. Foaly yawned for the thousandth time and was followed by a chorus of yawns, ending in Trouble's own. He sighed as he looked over to batch of sleep-deprived elves, they would be getting no more work done in this sate. He felt like he was giving up, but he had to say it, it was the only way they could move forward.

"Alright, all of you, get some sleep. Be back here early tomorrow morning. Foaly, I want a list of every suspect. Narrow that down to," he paused to think, "I don't know, perhaps those that knew one of the officers that are topside right now." He wasn't thinking of all of those officers though, his mind sided more toward Holly, perhaps he was slightly more biased when ravaged by fatigue.

He knew he should trust Fowl, but it seemed he always could come up with reason not to fully place his confidence in the teenager. The way he had black-mailed Holly to get his mother cured, came to mind. Yet still, Artemis deserved some of The People's trust, in fact, The People owed so much to Fowl it would be almost wrong to distrust him. Then again, do humans ever really change? If it was true that they didn't, Fowl should never be given an ounce of trust.

The group dissipated around him and Foaly shut down the large computers. The horse-man clopped over to Trouble who was still staring trance-like at the screens, contemplating the credibility of the Mud Genius.

"Kelp, don't worry. No one can hold back this technology for long." Foaly pointed a finger to his head. Trouble snapped out of it and looked to Foaly. The Ops booth was strangely quite without the hum of machinery.

"You're right, tomorrow when we're all fresh we'll be able to narrow it down more. Holly can take care of herself." He took a long pause, then tried to combat what he said so it didn't sound too predisposed. "And the other two are trained officers, nothing to fret over." He worried the damage had already been done though. Foaly raised a bushy eyebrow at the Commander then cantered off to leave for home, remembering just before he went through the door to take off his white lab coat. He sure hoped Caballine would have a tasty meal for him when he got home.

Trouble stood for another minute in the Ops Booth, then realizing that he could do no more tonight, he walked off down the halls towards his office, he would sleep there tonight. He couldn't justify coming home until Holly was safe… and the others were too of course.

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_**A/N:**_ I was about to write "_Holly has completed the ritual and we both have protection" _but I thought that it might give the wrong impression O.O So I didn't. If you'd like to laugh at my momentary bad judgment, please feel free to REVIEW! Thanks to my current and lovely reviewers, much love!

XoXo Northern Amadeus oXoX


	3. Surprise

_**A/N:**_ Oh it's been so long : ) Hope I can still capture the essence of the story 0.0 Enjoy please!

**Artemis Fowl: Captive**

Chapter Three, Surprise

The morning light washed over Holly and Artemis. A damp smell lingered in the air from the rain the day before and the dew laden grass soaked their feet, ruining Artemis's shoes. He had other things on his mind though, most importantly the fact that they were only a couple minutes away from Tara. Once there he would have much to do. Gears spun in his mind as he thought over all the possible things they would find there, and what they would do if they found nothing. He took a deep calming breath as the hill revealed itself.

"Artemis, stop." He heard Holly whisper; this brought him out of his thoughts and back to the world. He carefully surveyed the area but saw nothing.

"What is it? Nothing's here." He whispered back "Holly?" She ignored him and walked toward an old oak tree. The soft bark of the tree had been crudely carved into a heart and in the heart was written her name. She faintly heard a rustling behind her but it took a moment to turn around, she was transfixed by the carving- it was familiar to her. She had seen this heart before. Slowly she turned around to tell Artemis.

"Artemis, I know who this is…" She began then stopped and covered her mouth in alarm. Artemis was lying on the ground, she worried for a moment that he was dead but she soon noticed that he was still breathing. She barely had enough time to take in the situation when she was hit hard in the back of the neck and knocked out.

Artemis awoke to hard steel room, the only light came from a raw bulb in the ceiling. The earthy smell and cool surroundings hinted that they were underground. Without getting up he rolled over to Holly's side. A trickle of red ran down the back of her white suit but she was alive. He gently rolled her over and patted her face. In return he got a hard kick in the shin and a couple hits from her flailing fists.

"Holly! Holly stop it's me, stop!" Moments later she quit trying to attack him and squinted at his face.

"Oh Artemis, I'm sorry I thought you were…" At that moment she was interrupted by the banging of a door. They both turned around so quickly that they got dizzy. An unusually short pixie stood in the doorway.

"Good morning, sleep well?" The pixie asked cheerily.

"What's going on Slate? I thought you were ok with us." Holly snapped at the pixie who had walked closer to them. He bent down to eye level and pulled a confused Holly into a very wet kiss. She fought him off and slapped him across the face, making him jump up and back a little away from her. Rubbing his cheek he spoke, this time with no cheer.

"Ok with everything? Sure you just broke my heart but I'm fine. Never better. D'arvit Holly we had our chance! We could've been happy. Your obsession with work ruined it. I thought you had a heart but you sure proved me wrong." Artemis was immensely taken off guard- he thought Holly had never dated.

"I did it for your own good. You were clingy Slate- you needed someone who needed you." Holly tried to sympathize, but that was difficult to do with a pixie like Slate.

"Do I look good?" He screamed. Truthfully he didn't.

"Just tell me where we are." Holly rolled her eyes. He could do them no harm. Slate couldn't be the one behind all this. He was never any good with magic.

"You, my love, are in the depths of my latest project. Better than Haven, safer than Atlantis, and more powerful than the human world. Slatetopolis." He said with all seriousness and grandeur. Holly almost laughed at the poor bloke. He couldn't even come up with a decent name for his project. Artemis at this point was feeling quite secure. The fool hadn't even removed their handguns. Slate's back was away from them and he was staring at the wall as if there was something written on it. Quickly, he pulled out his gun and fired two shots strait into his back. The bullets hit the wall in front of him and he looked down. Not a scratch. They went right through as if he were a ghost. In frustration Artemis shot another bullet and replaced the gun. Someone had wired in a computer generation. And a good one at that. He couldn't tell that Slate was just a picture, he looked completely solid. The small pixie laughed and turned around to face them.

"Like it? I had the servants wire it up for me. Oh that reminds me- back to business. Holly, you'll be coming with me for now. We'll need to get you changed. And as for your friend here, I think I'll entertain him. With that the hologram moved to the wall and pressed a series of gnomish numbers on a bright red keypad. The steel wall opened to reveal a screen. Artemis and Holly gaped at what they saw. It looked like live feed from a camera mounted inside of a volcano. To the right of the screen they saw to solid gold thrones, one taller than the other. And after a moment of studying it was clear that the camera was inside a kind of look-out point with all glass windows. It was a large black room that looked out over a red steaming metropolis. Inside this small city they made out some movement but the rest was too pixilated to see.

"Nice isn't it? Come along now my sweet." He said and pulled Holly up by the arm. He clasped a device around her neck that was attached to a chain. Artemis was horrified that someone could drag a living being around like a dog. Though he could do nothing. He sat in silence as Holly was led away and the super hologram closed the door behind them.

* **** *

**Three hours later**

* **** *

Artemis sat with his head lolled against the steel wall, he hadn't been paying attention to the screen- he was too busy trying to figure out an escape. The walls were bolted together, he could most likely get out of the steel room, but he would have no idea what was waiting for him on the other side. He could only hope that Holly would be back soon and could tell him where exactly they were. Perhaps the ceiling would open up to the world above, but they could be at the very bottom of this city, in which case he would have to know where to go to get out. Soon his thoughts were shattered as Holly was tossed onto the ground beside him. Two large trolls had escorted her in, but they didn't look very dangerous. Holly was bruised and trembling. She wore a dark lava-red dress and an ornate golden headdress. She coughed a bit then struggled to sit up. Artemis rushed over to her and helped her lean against the wall. A red mark ran across her neck where the collar had been.

"Holly are you alright? Can you tell me what's going on here?" She struggled to remain calm as she recounted what had happened.

"I don't know what's gotten into Slate, he's powerful Artemis, this is unlike anything I've ever encountered. He's building this city and he wants me to be his queen, it's a slave city. He's surrounded himself in creatures that are completely under his control. Some have collars on but others don't seem to be wearing anything. He didn't want to use the collar on me, he wanted me to follow him of my own will so that's what I did. I didn't want him messing with my mind." She took a second and came back stronger now. She was more like herself. "The only exit is at the top of the city, he uses jet planes to get out. As far as I can tell Haven should be almost directly below us now." Artemis nodded solemnly.

"Are there any weapons that you have access to?" He asked, she thought for a moment before answering.

"None at all. He doesn't even carry them." Artemis still had one more question that troubled him.

"Did he beat you? You're all bruised up." Holly looked down at her arms.

"Oh, this is from those trolls. They're entirely too rough even with the mind control. I'm alright. It's you I'm worried about. He hates you with a passion Artemis, he thinks we're madly in love and I can't get him to believe other wise." Artemis swallowed.

"We'll play his game for awhile, perhaps if you convince him to trust you you can get more information and we can escape."

"Artemis, he's coming to take you away soon. He's going to torture you." Holly was worried, she felt so helpless and angry right now that she had an immense headache.

"I'll be fine, get yourself together Captain. You're going to need to act a little." Holly wrapped Artemis in a tight hug.

"I hope your right about this one Artemis, I'd say I'd kill you if you mess this up but I think Slate will take care of that for me." She laughed a little at her morbid joke. She hadn't been crying but she felt like she might so she scolded herself and sucked it up.

"Now why don't you tell me what you know about Slate." Artemis said.

"He's a psycho path. Never used to be. One time he was gentle and sweet, a little too much of a push-over. Don't hate me from keeping him from you, but we were engaged at one point." Artemis was shocked, Holly had horrid taste in men.

"We were engaged for five years and I couldn't stand it any longer so we broke it off. He always wanted me home more and was showing up at the office and worrying about me on missions- it was so annoying." Artemis nodded knowingly. Behind him the door opened once more. Slate walked in with a wicked grin.

"I do hope you enjoyed the tour Holly, now it's Fowl's turn." He clapped a collar around Artemis's neck and pulled him away. Artemis felt tiny pulses that the collar sent into his spine, the last thing he wanted was mind control- but he doubted he would have a choice in that.

_**A/N:**_ Alright, I said before that the next chapter would be about Butler and Trouble but I think I lied, I might just have to continue this one… 0.0 I wish I knew what Slate was going to do to Arty! Ahglemuffin!! The next chapter will be very interesting in deed, so stick around! And please review, without your reviews and Liris's threats I would have never written this :)

XoXo Northern Amadeus oXoX


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